Hi ladies, Not that I really want to give up my secrets and finds
but I really wanted to share this. We met with the sales/catering manager at the new Westin in Dulles last Friday (off Coppermine Road in Herndon - you can see it from 28) and I think I've found the venue!!! If you're looking for something modern and fresh and funky and not traditional, Westin in general is a great hotel brand for that but this brand new location is awesome. Unfortunately, it is situated around a residential and office park, but there are some beautiful landscapes that help make up for it. There's a huge duck pond/lake with a fountain right next to the hotel, separating it from some office building across the way. There is a path from the hotel that leads to the lake, which has steps that have been set up to create a stadium seating atmosphere. They can place cushions or chairs on the actual steps and then the ceremony actually takes place on this platform/clearing at the foot of the steps right on the water. I was thinking that maybe we can do some sort of awning or canopy with drapes to block off the office building that will be behind us when we're saying our vows, lol...then, off to the side is a beautiful cobblestone bridge that will have Asian-style lanterns on the rail. The ballroom is also very modern and the chairs are awesome - not your typical old school banquet chairs - I wouldn't even upgrade to chiavaris. As far as cost, like any vendor, they are negotiable but I think we may actually buckle down and do a Friday evening ceremony/reception to keep costs down further. And NO, they did NOT pay me to post this, LOL! It was just the first place that my FI was impressed with enough for him to be like "Shoot, I'll call all the other places we saw and tell them to buzz off!" I'm also a little surprised myself at how enamored I am with it since I really wanted a venue closer to Alexandria or the city. They've actually booked about 12 weddings already. We are going in for another visit this Friday once they have their grand opening to tour the finished spaces. I definitely recommend putting the Westin Dulles on your "to check out" list!!